Records of Multiple Drone Crashes in Arizona Coming to Light

The remains of a Predator B "Reaper" drone, sprinkled across the Arizona
mountainside near Nogales, in this April 2006 photo released by the National
Transportation Safety Board. (Retrieved from NBC news.)

On June 22, 2014, the Washington Post published the results of a far-reaching investigation into crashes that have occurred in the U.S. drone program.

Shockingly, of the 194 major ("Class A") crashes that the Washington Post was able to document, 47  occurred within the United States.

Below is information on four (4) drone crashes that occurred in the state of Arizona alone between the years 2005 and 2008. The Arizona incidents all involved Army Hunter drones, and specific location information is limited to the first incident.

The photo above was retrieved from NBC news and appears to relate to an incident that is additional to the incidents listed below.

(See the full online database of crashes on the Washington Post website for full details of these and other drone crashes.)

Date: November 1, 2005
Location: 1.5 miles northeast of McNeal [NOTE: McNeal lies about 20 miles east of Fort Huachuca, in Sierra Vista.]
Estimated damage: $1,288,861
Details: An Army Hunter (RQ-5A) crashed . . . .

Date: June 22, 2006
Location: undisclosed AZ location
Estimated damage: N/A
Details: An Army Hunter (RQ-5A) crashed . .  ..

Date: October 12, 2006
Location: undisclosed AZ location
Estimated damage: a
Details: An Army Hunter (RQ-5A) flew out of control . . . crashed . . . and burned.

Date: May 7, 2008
Location: undisclosed AZ location
Estimated damage: a
Details: A Hunter (MQ-5B) crashed after drifting off course . . . .


Related posts

Ten (10) drone crashes occurred in the state of California alone between the years 2004 and 2011.

(See California: Is the Sky Falling? )







A drone crash in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay was one of the first incidents to bring crashes by military drones to the attention of the American public.


(See Maryland Drone Crashes: The Other Shoe Drops )


Numerous drone crashes in and off the coast of Florida have been associated with training at Tyndall Air Force Base.

(See Drone Crashes Pile Up In and Near Florida )

Raúl Grijalva Did a Good Thing (Launching the Demand for Drones Transparency)

It all started with a letter. Progressive leader Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ-3) joined with Rep. Keith Ellison (MN) in March to call the U.S. on the carpet for dodging the call from the international community to come clean about its drone killings.

Within days, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) submitted a bill calling for drone transparency.

Now, people nationwide who have been protesting drones are contacting their representatives to encourage support for H.R.4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act. If passed, the bill will require the Obama administration to come clean about the killings it has carried out using drones -- killings that, up until now, the administration has been able to pretend don't exist. (Rep. Grijalva joined the bill as a co-sponsor on May 1.)

So now's the time: write or call your member of Congress today. 

To determine what district you live in, go to http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

To see an example of a constituent letter, see An Open Letter to Congressman Mike Quigley on H.R.4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act 

[SEE: hub page for all Resources to SUPPORT the "Come Clean on Drone Killings" Act (Schiff/Jones HR 4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act)]

Thanks, Rep. Grijalva!


Related posts

First Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) called the U.S. on the carpet for dodging the call from the international community to come clean about its drone killings. Then Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) submitted a bill calling for drone transparency. So ... are we finally going to get the truth?

(See REAL Progressives Demand that the U.S. Come Clean on Drone Killings)

A 2013 U.N. report makes it clear that the U.S. has to report fully on all its drone attacks.

(See 2014: The Year of Transparency (for U.S. Drone Use)?)

The reason the Administration is hiding truth about drones is that they don't have a satisfactory answer for how decisions about drone strikes are made.  As we have known all along, we need the public to think about how crummy the whole drone program is, and then they will be ready to be on our side. The best way to get them really thinking is to shine a spotlight on the secrecy, evasiveness, and deceit involved in the U.S. drone program.

(See Drone Killings: Come Clean )